


Reintroductions

by MisteryMaiden



Series: And It All Comes Crashing Down [4]
Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Chloe Decker Finds Out, Gen, God's A+ Parenting (Lucifer TV), Hurt Lucifer Morningstar (Lucifer TV), LAPD Questions their life choices, Lucifer Morningstar (Lucifer TV) Devil Reveal, Protective Michael
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-27
Updated: 2020-03-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 10:41:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23350087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MisteryMaiden/pseuds/MisteryMaiden
Summary: Lucifer is back on Earth and the Angels prepare to interact with humanity once more.
Relationships: Michael & Lucifer Morningstar (Lucifer TV)
Series: And It All Comes Crashing Down [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1654117
Comments: 38
Kudos: 560





	Reintroductions

**Author's Note:**

> So, I suddenly have a shitton of free time now that we've been put under Shelter law. Meaning I can't leave the house unless it's to buy food or get prescriptions, I'm sans job for the time being, and I only have two classes to work on. Time-consuming classes, that's for sure, but still, only two classes. That still leaves me three days of the week with nothing planned and only one class a day for the other four. 
> 
> Which means that I have time for writing, video games, classwork, and anything else that I've been lacking the time to do until now. 
> 
> Which I'm going to be doing a lot of because we've got at least three weeks of this, probably longer because cases of the stats that forced this have increased once more, by double.
> 
> Anyways, enjoy the chapter and, most of all, stay indoors if possible and stay safe!

_“Breaking new. Pope Julius the Fourth has confirmed the identity of the UN Miracle Statue to be missing priest, Father William Kinley, who was last seen vacationing in Los Angeles, California. LAPD have connected Kinley to the twelve priests recently reported missing within the LA area. While nothing concrete about the case has been reported, rumor has it that it was passed on to homicide early in the investigation-”_

_“Chaos has descended upon the United Nations as investigations into the appearance of, what has been dubbed, the UN Miracle Statue. According to representatives of the UNOG, all attempts at moving or disturbing the Statue in anyway have been met with the complete destruction of all equipment. A YouTube video released yesterday show a sledgehammer striking the statue, only for the metal to bend around it. Investigators-”_

_“Church attendance worldwide has reached an all-time high in wake of what is considered the first Act of God recorded in the modern age. While the Vatican has yet to certify the UN Miracle Statue as a miracle at this time, most who have seen the statue in person are convinced of its’ validity. Speculations-”_

_“New outlooks have spread through the streets of Los Angeles, California in the wake of the UN Miracle Statue’s appearance. Just one day before the first of twelve priests were reported missing in the LA area, a freak storm and earthquake caused chaos throughout the city. Scientists were baffled by the sudden appearance of rain clouds on radars where there had previously been nothing, immediately followed by earthquakes of unknown origins, with an epicenter that has since been impossible to locate. Citizens are now claiming that the reason behind sciences inability to locate the cause was due to it being caused by divine intervention. No scientist has yet commented-”_

_“One question remains on the minds of the world, brought in the wake of the UN Miracle Statue: If this is truly an Act of God, what happens next?”_

* * *

There wasn’t a news station in the world that wasn’t covering William Kinley, the UN Miracle Statue, and the fallout that proceeded to engulf the world. You couldn’t turn on the TV without seeing those first videos, grainy and somewhat shaky, of the statue’s moving eyes and agonized face.

It was a face that haunted Ella every time she turned on the TV. Not, she reflected, because she disagreed with Kinley’s punishment.

It was just the eeriness that came with watching stone eyes scream for help. An unnaturalness to them that humans weren’t used to seeing replicated in stone instead of flesh.

Eyes, she thought grimly, were windows to the soul.

Didn’t that phrase have a whole new meaning?

It had been three days since she’d woken up to the station collectively losing their minds, blowing up her phone nonstop. She’d overslept the night before and hadn’t woken until two hours into her shift. If it had been any other day, Ella would have been read the riot act.

That day, more than a few employees had been late, caught up in the shock when they turned on the news. All Ella had to do was claim the same and she’d been let off without even a warning. As someone well known to be religious, her boss hadn’t thought anything of it when she’d come in three hours late.

It had only gotten worse when Jennifer Walters connected the name William Kinley as one associated with the missing priests. Ella had been ecstatic that she hadn’t been assigned _that_ case. She knew exactly why those priests were missing and she’d known long before the results came back on ash found in relation to each priest would say. Apparently being smote still left DNA residue behind. That amount, while not consistent with a full human body, was why the case had gone from missing persons to homicide, after all. They’d been ready to declare the priests as homicide victims later that same day.

No one had dared to after the news broke.

Ella couldn’t blame them. If they did, the LAPD could become the absolute center of international attention, especially after the _el tonto_ that was originally assigned the case announced the connection to the media. Monroe had been _livid_.

There hadn’t been any way to stop the attention then. Everyone in the world was looking at the LAPD for answers, in wake of the Vatican’s declaration of anything Kinley did to draw the wrath of God hadn’t been sanctioned. Ella was pretty sure that they weren’t lying, either. Mostly, she thought, because they hadn’t been smote in God’s anger fueled smiting spree after Lucifer had been injured.

The timing of Kinley’s disappearance, that of the twelve priests, the storms and earthquakes, put together with what the plaque claimed, had a lot of officers uneasy. Ella knew what they were thinking too. She’d have been among them if she hadn’t been already made aware of what was going on right from the start.

While the LAPD couldn’t be called the most intelligent of law enforcement agencies ( _they’d all chosen to live in LA, after all_ ), the officers and various other employees weren’t stupid. Ella would never have lasted more than a month here if that had been the case. July 18th had been the day that everything had gone down. It was also, Ella winced, the same day that Maze had informed Monroe that Lucifer would be out of contact due to a ‘break in’ that he was ‘dealing with’ and that Lucifer would call when he was back.

Lucifer Morningstar, LA resident and self-proclaimed Devil (who was the _actual_ Devil), had vanished off the face of the Earth the same day that William Kinley and twelve priests went missing. William Kinley who was currently a statue on the grounds of the UNOG with a plaque declaring to the world that he’d attempt to murder a Child of God. Angels, the internet had been screaming since the very beginning of this mess, were children of God.

Everyone in the precinct had witnessed Lucifer do insane, impossible things since he’d first started working with the LAPD. Ella had heard all the stories. Super strength, super speed, getting _shot_ and walking away without a scratch, not to mention that whole desire thing that seemed to work on basically everyone, barring one Chloe Decker. He was already referred to by people jokingly as LAPD’s own cryptid. No one had really believed that he was the Devil, though.

They all might just start, Ella thought, worrying her lip.

She should warn Maze. The demon had been very insistent that no one thinks that there was anything more to Lucifer’s current absence other than the aftermath of his penthouse getting trashed. It was why Dan had filed it officially himself, instead of letting another officer take care of it. Maze hadn’t been able to one hundred percent guarantee that nothing celestial and dangerous to humans hadn’t been among the things that the kidnappers had thrown everywhere.

Her comments about ‘world-destroying items’ that Lucifer had ‘unwisely’ hidden in a storage container that had been stolen once had not reassured any of them. At all. (The talk of severed angel wings had done nothing to improve their worries.)

Seriously, Ella thought, _what_ had been going on when they weren’t looking?!

Denial was apparently a lot more powerful than people gave it credit for, she and Dan had been discovering. Like, seriously. No one questioned Lucifer’s ability to throw people through glass without flexing any sort of muscles?! Brushing it off as another ‘Luciferian’ event didn’t seem all that reasonable, now that Ella knew.

No one was brushing it off anymore, that was for sure. Monroe had been pacing back and forth around the office for hours, mumbling about similar events under her breath. All things easily overheard to whoever got close enough to the rattled Chief of Police.

Ella _really_ should warn Maze.

With a resigned sigh, the scientist committed herself as the one who would be forced to give the demon the bad news.

She hoped no one ended up gutted when Maze’s careful plans fell apart.

* * *

For the first time since he’d first woken, Lucifer was reluctant at the idea of going back to Earth.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to check in on his humans and sole demon. It wasn’t even that he was worried about the possibility of running into Chloe again, now that everything had changed. (Not that such a thing would help matters.) He wasn’t even concerned about the possible tears that he was _certain_ were going to appear the moment one Beatrice Espinoza caught sight of him.

It was the rest of humanity that had him wanting to stay huddled in the Silver City for the next century or two.

When God had announced that he was in the process of lifting the ban that kept the angels confined to Heaven and away from humanity, Lucifer hadn’t been among those surprised by the move. Not when he really thought about it.

He could follow the logic behind it even without the explanation behind Uriel’s seemingly sudden insanity.

Lucifer had claimed a lot of things about God in his life and stupidity had never been one of them. Angels could not last long confined before the _itch_ to roam began to dig at them. Lucifer had seen it when he’d chosen to Rebel, had felt it himself during his time in Hell. It was just the way that their species was created, from the moment that Goddess had given birth to them and would remain that way until the moment they ceased to exist. The only thing that Lucifer hadn’t known about was the insanity that could follow when that _itch_ was left too long. He also hadn’t known about the rawness it could cause their souls.

He’d been waiting for the moment that his siblings would start to push the limits of the confinement since the first time Amenadiel talked about it in the early days of its implementation. Lucifer had privately wondered which one of his holier than thou siblings would be the first to break under it and Rebel. Lucifer might have been the leader, but he hadn’t been the only one to Rebel. You can’t have a war with only one angel, Archangel or not.

It had taken a lot of careful planning to keep things from becoming deadly. Lucifer had worried, in those early days, that the new instigator wouldn’t bother with it. That his siblings would truly start battling each other to the death while he sat in Hell, unable to do anything to keep it from happening.

When it never happened, Lucifer had assumed that Father had found a way to soothe the _itch_ and simply hadn’t bothered with Lucifer’s. He’d been rather furious about it at the time.

He never thought that his siblings had still been suffering with their Father unaware. Surely _someone_ would have brought it up to the Almighty!

Lucifer had, apparently, overestimated and underestimated his siblings at the same time.

The solution was always going to be Earth. There wasn’t a single angel in Heaven that would go to Hell, _itch_ or no _itch_. Hell was the opposite of everything that an angel was, and it _fed_ on the celestials that dared entered its borders. Nothing painful or even harmful. It was just a constant weight and slight discomfort that pulled at their wings and dripped on their souls.

Lucifer had been forced to get used to that feeling; his siblings would never stay long enough to build the same tolerance. So no, Hell was not an option and they wouldn’t have this problem if the expanse of untouched space that filled the area around the Silver City were enough to sooth it.

That left Earth and the mortal plane.

The mortal plane which was crawling with millions of humans.

So no, Lucifer was not surprised about that. It was how God planned to solve the cohabitation problem that had caught the Devil off guard.

A show of power by displaying Kinley for the world to see, his sentence and crime written so that any human of any origin could read it without trouble. A call back to the days of plagues and celestial might. The opening act to the reintroduction of celestial beings to the Earthly plane. Followed by _dignitaries_. Angels that were willing to work with the human governments to establish celestials as a species with rights and protections.

Lucifer had been baffled at that until Amenadiel had explained his talk with Daniel, Linda, and Ella. Humans, Amenadiel had proudly announced, could be the only ones who knew how to best deal with humans.

Lucifer agreed fully. Years amongst them and still, the Devil found himself baffled by something that humans seemed to just brush off as normal. Not to mention, he shuddered, the _emotions_ that they seemed to deal with on a daily basis.

It was the fact God had taken that advice and run with it that was surprising. Or maybe not. Maybe it was just Lucifer that God rarely listened to.

Or maybe he was just putting meaning where there wasn’t any. Linda liked to claim that Lucifer did that a lot. Since there had been many instances where Lucifer had been proven completely wrong when it came to his Dad, Lucifer was attempting to keep an ‘open mind’ in this occurrence. It was possible that his Father had just not been listening to him at all during his Rebellion and the many rants he’d shouted at the sky over the years.

God’s reaction since Lucifer’s injury and return to the Silver City certainly didn’t seem like someone who would orchestrate the numerous events Lucifer had thought He’d been behind throughout the centuries. Since He had obviously not been behind Chloe’s feelings for him, evident at the rage caused by her actions, Lucifer was a lot less certain what had and hadn’t been Him.

He was also becoming less and less certain of what his Mother had told him. Someone that had wanted to destroy Lucifer would not have gone so far out of His way to keep it from finally happening. There was a chance that He had simply changed His mind in the centuries since, but Lucifer wanted so desperately for it to have been a lie.

It would be easy, the Devil knew, to just ask. God spent nearly every possible moment sitting in that same corner of the infirmary. It would take almost no time for Lucifer to have his answer. A simple word to confirm or deny.

Every single time Lucifer had opened his mouth, wanting to _know_ , he’d lost the nerve and said something to Michael instead. Every single time.

What if it was ‘yes’?

The Devil didn’t know if he could bear it if the answer was ‘yes’. That would mean all the care, all the _love_ that he was currently receiving could have an end to it. That if Lucifer did something wrong, he’d find himself alone again.

This time, Lucifer didn’t think he’d be able to survive being cast away. This time, he knew what would await him. The emptiness that would eat away at his mind where his siblings’ voices echoed once again and the constant ache where Michael was supposed to be. It would break him to have that back, after so very long of it being gone, only to lose it again. Lucifer wasn’t sure that even his humans would be able to put the pieces back together, with as brittle and easily destroyed they had been even before Chloe and Kinley.

He didn’t want to end up like Uriel, so broken that he was a danger to his family and all of humanity. Worse, it could spread to Michael. If both the Light and the Dark went mad, Lucifer wasn’t sure what that would do to the world.

So, he never asked. None of that could happen if Lucifer never asked, never risked enraging God to the point of being banished again. You couldn’t be banished, he’d thought to himself during that first month, if you never do anything to deserve it.

He ignored the pained gaze of God and made sure never to engage unless prompted by another. Sometimes it was Michael, with the use of their bond. Other’s, it involved questions from Raphael or some other time where his input was needed for a conversation to move forward and would be too obvious if he’d refused to speak.

Humans, Lucifer reminded himself fiercely. It was safer to think about the humans.

They’d know for sure that he’d never lied to them now. Lucifer wasn’t deluded enough to believe not a since person that had seen him do something unexplainable wouldn’t start putting the pieces together. If they, somehow, managed to brush off actual proof of Angels and God as to not applying to him, Michael was going to be a dignitary. You couldn’t really deny that Lucifer and Michael were identical in appearance, ignoring the difference in their wings and powers. That isn’t something you can _fake._ The cat was about to be well and truly out of the bag soon.

There was no telling how LA was going to react once it settled in. Lucifer might be well liked by those that knew him but that was when he was ‘delusional’ and considered harmless. No one in their right mind considered the Devil harmless, nor would he be considered delusional any longer.

He could end up losing LUX, his home. The first home he’d had since the Silver City had first been barred from him. Hell had never been home in the way that LUX had become. Lucifer wasn’t sure what he’d do if he lost it. Where would he go, then? He refused to go back to Hell or to leave his humans alone. Maze would also face prosecution when it came out that she was an actual demon.

He wasn’t hopeful that the protections and rights granted to Angels would be applied to the Devil. Humanity had been attributing everything that had ever gone wrong in the world to him for millennia. A few smote priests and one petrified one wasn’t going to just change that.

Before he could wallow in his misery at the idea of having to give up on Earth entirely, Raphael pulled his attention to her. Blinking in surprise, Lucifer stared blankly.

His sister sighed. “I said that you’re officially healed enough to leave the infirmary,” she repeated.

“Oh,” was the only thing he could think of to say. Panic at the idea of leaving the comfort of the bed tried to well before he stamped it down furiously. He glanced at the door and back to his sister.

Her face softened as Michael stretch beside him, coming awake at Raphael’s voice. “You’re free to stay,” she told him. “I think, though, that your humans would start to worry if you stayed for much longer.”

It had been another week on Earth, Lucifer thought. He could see their faces in his minds eye as they waited patiently, starting to worry as more time passed and he stayed away. Staying away forever would hurt more than facing whatever Earth had in store for him in the long run. He’d barely managed to stay in Vegas as long as he had all that time ago. Lucifer was self-aware enough to admit that he was far more attached to LA than he’d been then.

Fear had never stopped him before, the Devil snarled, suddenly furious with himself. He had led a Rebellion against God, commanded the legions of Hell for millennia, and faced far worse than the reaction of mortals, who would only live a century at most. He would not be forced away from his _home_ by fear!

He stood, then. His legs were shaky, the muscles startled by the movement after so long with no use. Michael had to brace him for a moment as his celestial healing kicked in and the muscles started loosening. A few steps and he was more than able to stay balanced on his own.

He didn’t tell Michael to let him go, though.

Raphael watched him, seemingly pleased by his movement. His wings preened slightly, glad to see the joy that had been absent from most of their interactions during his time back within the Silver City. She had certainly tried to fake it and had probably convinced most of their siblings, but Lucifer tended to pay more attention to their wings then their body language. Wings were impossible to keep completely devoid of whatever emotion that they were feeling at the time.

“Father hasn’t sent Gabriel down yet,” Raphael informed him. It seemed she’d come to the correct conclusion as to his intended destination, now that he was standing and walking. Michael had promised that Lucifer’s first destination once cleared would be to his humans and Lucifer didn’t intend to make his Twin a liar. Not even over extremely valid fears that still refused to silence themselves in his mind.

How did humans deal with this all the time? Lucifer wanted an off button and he was still new to this whole human emotion thing. ( _You’re not human,_ a voice whispered. _Doesn’t that mean it’s not_ human _emotion?_ )

“We’ll get a front-row seat, then!” Lucifer tried to say cheerfully. He pretended not to notice the slight edge that slithered its way into the cadence of his voice.

“Father plans to send her in two next Earth days,” Raphael replied, reframing from commenting on Lucifer’s nerves shoving their way into his sentence. Lucifer appreciated it, he really did. “That should give you some time to resettle yourself.”

Hopefully, he added silently.

 _‘Whatever happens, I will be right there.’_ Michael whispered in his head. It soothed him more than Lucifer had expected it to. With Michael and Maze with him, Lucifer would have more than enough support should another priest find something _else_ they weren’t meant to have.

It had happened before, meaning that it was now guaranteed to happen again. That was just the way things occurred on the Earthly plane. Once an idea is introduced, Free Will dictated that someone else could replicate it. Lucifer had been fascinated the first time he’d realized that.

It was a lot less fascinating on the other side of it, he decided right there and then.

“Thank you, Raphael,” Lucifer stressed the sincerity behind his gratitude. His sister smiled, wings shifting, pleased. “You can come visit,” he offered before he could chicken out. “I have enough room.”

( _He didn’t want to say goodbye and risk never seeing her again ~~as he’d never see Uriel~~_ )

“I will,” the Healer promised. It settled something that was still aching in his chest. “I’ll make sure the others know that we are welcome,” she added because his sister was the best and wasn’t going to make him say it more than once. Raphael always knew what you wanted to say and couldn’t seem to get out.

 _‘Are you ready?’_ Michael asked, wing shuffling in contentment.

Lucifer took a deep breath, buried his remaining nerves, and nodded.

It was time to go home.

* * *

It was 3 pm in the afternoon when Michael and Lucifer landed in an empty penthouse.

The furniture was the same as when he’d left, Lucifer noted. The various knickknacks that he’d collected over the years were missing, however. Lucifer was a bit annoyed that he’d lost those mementos before resigning himself to the loss entirely. He was, Lucifer reminded himself sternly, immortal.

There was always time to collect more.

( _Unless you have to leave because LUX is taken_ -)

It was the signs of other habitants that really stood out to him as he glanced around. He could see various items likely left behind by Beatrice, some books that someone had brought with to read, and a few items that he suspected belonged to Miss Lopez, as they were things, he could see the other using. The books were likely Daniel and Linda, Lucifer thought as he read the titles. Jurassic Park and some strange romance book that Lucifer didn’t bother with the title, only looking at the extremely attractive man and woman posed on the cover.

Instead of looking out of place, Lucifer thought that everything looked at home settled in his penthouse. Even the Spawn’s items were perfectly in place though they had never been there before, to his knowledge.

It felt like _home_ , in the same way that it had during the very first time that he’d stepped into the building that would become LUX. A peacefulness settled in the pit of his stomach and the stress and anxiety that brushed against his consciousness lessened the more he observed the changes.

Vaguely, Lucifer wondered if he’d be able to talk them into spending more time in his penthouse now that everyone was in the know. He suspected that he wouldn’t be bring any other humans up for anything sexual in the near future. The idea of strangers didn’t appeal to him more than the thought of his friends did.

He had _friends_ , Lucifer thought, still marveling at the idea that anyone would choose to associate with him while knowing exactly who he was. After Chloe, Lucifer had wondered if Linda had just been an outlier amongst the group. Until Michael and Amenadiel had informed him that all his human companions where now in the know, Lucifer hadn’t considered that _Chloe_ might be the outlier.

Who wanted to be friends with the Devil?

 _‘They do,’_ Michael soothed, voice soft. Lucifer sighed; he hadn’t meant to project that insecurity to his twin.

It was a learning curve, after so long being apart. Lucifer was much better at blocking out Michael’s thoughts than keeping his own hidden. Well, most of Michael's thoughts. A few urges and some stray bits of none sense sometimes made it through.

Michael was better at receiving than sending, his opposite in this just as much as in anything. Well, except in social interaction. They both equally sucked at that, Lucifer consoled himself.

 _‘That isn’t quite true,’_ Michael protested. _‘I’m much more likely to make drive people to violence than you are.’_

Lucifer snorted, not really arguing with that. Lucifer’s ability over desire let him put those around him at ease, somewhat. Desire was just another part of Will, after all.

Michael was Power and that tended to cause a feeling of predator and prey, exciting the fight or flight response in anyone that had the misfortune to provoke his Twin. That little factoid was the reason that Michael was the Sword, his unique ability lent itself to battle far more than Lucifer’s desire trick did. It was also why, between the two of them, Michael was the scarier twin. Lucifer’s Devil face had nothing on the all-consuming darkness that Michael could pair with his ability to drag the basest instincts of survival in all of Creation.

Maybe, the Devil reflected, it was the reason that Michael had been picked as a dignitary. If God wanted to make sure that humans understood just what would happen to them should they trespass against the Host, having them interact with Michael at his most protective would certainly get the correct message across. Humans were accustomed to fearing the Devil instead of Heaven. Michael would be the perfect example of why that was a mistake.

Lucifer was only dangerous to those that had Sinned and needed Punishment. Michael was dangerous to all of creation when given the proper motivation.

In the end, Lucifer was just pleased that it meant that his Twin had a valid reason to be on the Earthly plane while things were still being settled.

“Lucifer?” A voice hesitantly asked.

The Devil looked to its source, surprised. Standing in the entry to the penthouse was one Linda Martin. Lucifer glanced to his side, finding that Michael had wandered off while he was lost in thought.

 _‘In your Kitchen,’_ Michael informed him. _‘Your Maze has been keeping it stocked. They introduced me to something called Oreos while I was here before.’_

Lucifer was not the only one with a sweet tooth, he snorted. _‘Leave some for me,’_ he demanded. While not as delicious as Gummy Bears, Oreos were still one of his favorite human snacks.

 _‘Mmmm,’_ Michael agreed.

“Hello, Linda!” He greeted the human out loud. It sounded much more cheerful than when he’d spoken to Raphael, Lucifer was surprised to discover.

Linda’s face brightened in a way that he hadn’t seen before, the only warning he had before the doctor crossed between them and pulled him into a hug. He stiffened a bit, forcing himself to relax. Hesitantly, he awkwardly returned to the affectionate response.

“I’m so glad to see you,” she told him after she released her hold. “We’ve been worried. After Michael left suddenly, we figured you must be awake.”

It soothed something in his soul that Lucifer hadn’t realized had been aching. He grinned at her. It didn’t feel as easy as it had before Cain, but it was certainly stronger than the one he’d been giving his siblings since he’d woken in Heaven. “Yes, well, Raphael wanted to make sure I could cross dimensional barriers without causing myself permanent damage before she let me out of her sight,” he informed her. “I was cleared today and came straight here.”

He didn’t mention the fears that had kept him from immediately rushing from his bed and back to Earth or the worries he had about the future now that divinity was being revealed to the world. That, he thought, would wait until he resumed sessions with her.

Right now, Lucifer was just enjoying her presence. A session could wait until a later date.

“We’ve only been back for a few minutes,” Michael spoke up as his Twin returned, a package of Oreos in hand. He held the open package out to Lucifer, who snatched a few of the cookies for himself.

Linda stared at them both, eyes wide. “Wow,” she said. “Seeing two of you at once is going to take some getting used to.”

Right, Lucifer thought. None of the humans or Mazikeen had ever seen them both present at the same time before. He’d nearly forgotten that after spending the last few months surrounded by his siblings, his Twin at his side. Having Michael there felt so _right_ that Lucifer hadn’t dwelled on the times where Michael _hadn’t_ been there. “Ah,” he nodded. “Understandable.”

He wasn’t sure what else to say. The ease of conversation that he’d always had was jarringly absent. He floundered for something, anything to say. What had they talked about _before_? Surely it hadn’t always consisted of Chloe? (He couldn’t bring himself to think of her as _The Detective_ , it felt as if the titled was referring to a completely different person.)

“Apologies for leaving with no warning,” Michael spoke instead. Lucifer was grateful to his Twin for breaking the silence before it began to get awkward. “I should have informed you before leaving.”

Linda gave his Twin a small smile. “It’s no trouble. We figured out what happened quickly enough. You might find yourself ducking knives from Maze,” she warned with humor.

Lucifer snorted. “From the number of knives Michael’s stored in his shadows, I doubt that would be any different from before he booked it for the Silver City,” Lucifer cast a glare at his Twin. “I hope that you’ve put the supply from the Kitchen back?”

Michael carefully placed another Oreo in his mouth before smirking. The lack of an answer was deliberate, Lucifer knew.

Linda answered instead. “He won’t need to. Maze already replaced the lot of them with newer versions yesterday. I think she was getting tired of borrowing the ones from LUX whenever someone was cooking diner.”

She gazed at them again, seemingly taking in every small detail of their forms. She wouldn’t be the first trying to find some difference in their appearances. While wings were a sure way, Lucifer didn’t really fancy going around with them on display all the time. Even if God was filtering the normal reactions the appendages received from mortals, it would make getting through crowds and using human-designed items much harder than it was worth.

Lucifer glanced at his Twin’s unruly hair and unkempt appearance. Michael hadn’t talked about what he’d been wearing on Earth, though Lucifer doubted that it would be the suites that he, himself, was fond of. Michael tended to lean towards a more casual and practical dress when given the option. The curls that they both shared was the only real thing they had always agreed on when it came to appearance. If given free rein, their dark curls would knot and become an unmanageable mess.

“I think I’m going to clean up,” he announced, finding himself eager to be out of the traditional robes of the Silver City. He’d hated them when he was younger and absence had not changed his opinion on them whatsoever. “I find myself wanting to be rid of these tragedies,” he said, gesturing to the robes.

Michael snorted at the distaste he hadn’t bothered hiding. Maybe, Lucifer reflected, being in his own clothing would help him feel more normal.

“I’ll let everyone know you’re back,” Linda told him as she made her way towards the couch. “Michael, Ella washed the clothes you were using and put them on the bed in the guest room.”

Lucifer didn’t wait to hear what his Twin said in reply, having already entered the bathroom.

Glancing at the familiar items and taking in the newer additions that were belonged to his guests, Lucifer felt the knot of tension in his gut loosen more and more. He carefully kept himself from looking in the mirror before he stepped into the shower.

For the first time in two months, Lucifer felt as if everything was going to be okay.

He was home.

* * *

It was early morning on August 15th, 2020 that Lucifer received his first visit from God outside of the Infirmary.

Michael was there, of course. Lucifer hadn’t had more than a few minutes away from his Twin since everything had happened. It was refreshing, he’d found. After decades of missing that part of himself, having it back was a balm that he hadn’t realized that he’d needed. From Michael’s consistent presence, his Twin was likely going through the same thing.

They’d been like this a lot, in the Beginning. All he’d needed to do was turn his head and Michael would be there. They’d spent millennia like that, always in the other’s space. As their task evolved, they’d spent more time apart and that had been fine. A quick visit to the other during their down time soothed any ache that being apart for too long caused and they could always talk mind to mind if needed.

That hadn’t been the case after the Fall. Lucifer had done his best to ignore the constant ache that pulsed in the center of his soul and he supposed Michael had done the same. Lucifer doubted that either of them would be able to allow themselves to be separate for long now that Lucifer wasn’t banished.

He really hoped his Father wasn’t here to tell him that he was being sent back to Hell.

The look of pain on God’s face soothed that worry, though Lucifer felt a tad annoyed at Him for listening in. He wasn’t about to push his luck right now though.

 _‘Calm down,’_ Michael whispered in his head. _‘You’re starting to panic. If you end up in a full panic, we won’t have any idea why Father is here.’_

Right, calm.

Lucifer could do calm.

Probably.

 _‘Breath,’_ his Twin recommended. _‘That might help.’_

If the advice hadn’t been helpful, Lucifer might have smacked Michael with his wing for the slight amusement that the Sword was sending him. And, he allowed, if the amusement hadn’t helped Lucifer calm his racing nerves. Really, millennia of shouting angrily at the sky and when God finally starts showing up, he panics? Lucifer stomped down the remaining edge of panic with a ruthlessness that he was more used to turning on demons.

No doubt Linda would disapprove.

That also helped bury the remainder of his panic.

Thankfully, his Father didn’t try to speak or make any moves during this. Lucifer wasn’t sure if that would have brought all the panic he’d just buried back up and ready to go. Somehow, he thought it probably would have.

Maybe he should schedule that appointment with Linda sooner, after all.

“Right,” he finally said, voice unsteady. “Did you need something?”

That was not what he’d meant to say, Lucifer grimaced. It would have to do, though. The Almighty chose not to comment on that, to his surprise. The last time they’d had a face to face conversation, there had been screaming and arguing over everything Lucifer did.

“I have a request,” the Almighty spoke, and just like that, Lucifer was giving God his full attention.

Requests were like deals, and deal were something that Lucifer could do in his sleep at this point. The familiarity settled down his remaining nerves.

The Devil narrowed his eyes at his Father’s form. With dark hair and eyes, God could pass as his biological parent among the humans at the moment. It had been a while since the Almighty had deigned to share an obvious resemblance with him. He hadn’t noticed it while he’d been in the Infirmary, but Lucifer was almost sure that it was the same form that God had been wearing then as well.

“A deal,” he said after a moment. “I can do that.”

Instead of looking annoyed like Lucifer would have thought, the Almighty looked considering. It was very different from the reactions that Lucifer was used to.

Millennia ago and the suggestion of a deal instead of doing as he was told without question would have brought anger to his Father’s face. It was refreshing not to find a hint of that anger there now. God had either mellowed over time or was much more adept at hiding his annoyance whenever Lucifer did something off script.

“I need someone with more experience with humans to keep things on track,” God began, interrupting his thoughts.

Instantly, Lucifer hated where this was going. Michael had stilled beside him, a thread of anticipation flooding over their bond. His Twin seemed to know where this was going too and was excited about it.

“Out of your siblings, you are the only one that has interacted with humans consistently for years. Amenadiel has interacted some but he lacks the connections that you’ve made.” Lucifer winced; it was going where he thought it was going. God continued without pause, “Raguel, Gabriel, and Michael are going to need someone that knows humanity as it is now during this. I would like you to consent to being one of the dignitaries that approach humanity.”

“In return, I will give My word that you will be allowed to come and go between _any_ realm of your choice without interference,” his Father finished, radiating satisfaction.

The ‘no’ that he’d been prepared to say died on his lips. He wanted nothing to do with what was going to happen with humans and angels. He’d been planning on only helping if Michael needed it, leaving the rest to the others to figure out. After everything that had happened, Lucifer wasn’t sure if he was the best one to read humans. He’d completely failed reading Chloe, after all.

Linda would have been the better choice. She was aware of the supernatural elements in the world and his Father had personally blessed her soul. She also had spent a few years translating human emotions to Lucifer and _Maze_ , with varying amounts of success. Translating it to angel with the help of Amenadiel would have been easy enough.

But, and this was a very big but, mind you, Lucifer was _good_ at making deals. It was how he’d managed to get established in the world, how he’d gotten LUX, how he’d lived six years on Earth before Chloe. He still had those favors as well, many of which could be traced to people in office around the country. Knowing that it made sense that God would decide that Lucifer would be an asset.

The ability to go wherever he wished without worrying about being kicked out was also alluring in a way that stirred something inside him. He could visit the Silver City and his siblings whenever he wanted. God had also deigned not to put a time limit on the deal as well.

It had been _nice_ to be in the Silver City again. It had been the first time that he’d felt relaxed in…well, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d been that relaxed. The edge of _something_ that Lucifer had been living with for millennia was gone. He couldn’t even quite remember what the feeling had been, only that it had first showed up a few centuries after his banishment to Hell. It wasn’t the _itch_ , that had been much different and usually was soothed whenever he made a trip to Earth. This was something more, had always been something more.

“Deal,” he said easily, because what other answer could he give? This way he could be certain that he could visit the silver city without having to worry about being told to leave whenever his Father remembered just why Lucifer had been banished in the first place. A deal was worth much more than any guarantee would have in soothing that remaining worry.

He may end up punished in a different way later on but the thought of being free to visit his humans whenever he wished after they died was far too tempting to deny. He’d found that out the hard way after Charlotte had died.

He could visit her, Lucifer realized with a start. He’d resigned himself to never seeing the blond again ever since her death. Now that he had God’s word, he could travel up to her personal heaven and visit her himself, instead of being content with reports from Amenadiel.

“Gabriel will be making the announcement today,” his Father interrupted, voice soft. Lucifer jerked his attention back to the Almighty and away from Charlotte. He’d visit her soon, right now he needed to know the specifics of his half of the deal. He probably should have clarified that before agreeing, Lucifer grimaced internally. Linda had said that he was impulsive at times, he mused. She likely would remain unsurprised at another example of this behavior from him. “Amenadiel, Michael, herself, yourself, and Raguel will be the first dignitaries to work with humanity.”

The firstborn who could stop time, Michael who was well regarded among the humans, Gabriel who was already known as a messenger of God, and the Angel of Justice, Lucifer mused. He was the only controversial name in the bunch. “She’s going to True Name us all,” he realized after a moment of thought.

Among the celestial and infernal, names were not shared. Not a single angel shared a name with another, which was an impressive feat if you considered how many angels there were _and_ how many had been assigned different versions of their names over the existence of humanity. When someone named themselves as ‘Gabriel’ among the two planes, for instance, every infernal and celestial would know that she was the Messenger of God and an Archangel. That was because there was only **one** Gabriel. On Earth, there were hundreds of people with the name Gabriel wherever you went. There were variations on it, of course, based on gender, culture, time periods, etc. It was still the same base name, however.

True Naming would make it so every human would know that they were who they said they were, no doubts or second thoughts. It was a Olde spell, from the days when angels roamed more. Skepticism, despite modern belief, was just as present in the early days of humanity as it was now. Lucifer hadn’t been in Heaven at that time, having already been banished to Hell, but he’d watched as his siblings struggled to get the humans to believe their identities without shoving a wing in their face or smiting something to prove themselves. True Naming had been the solution to that, making the need for burning bushes (though Lucifer was still proud of that one, thanks) unnecessary to get a reaction.

The thing was, Lucifer had never been True Named. It had never been necessary. Red eyes and his ability with desire had always been enough during those times and nowadays, he was more amused with the disbelief than annoyed. It would have been a good way to get Chloe (he winced at her name) to believe him, and he _had_ thought about that…

Ultimately, the reason why he had reframed was the small fact that he didn’t know what his True Name would be. Samael or Lucifer? The Will of God or the Morning Star? Angel or Devil?

He didn’t know.

“Yes,” God replied, not commenting on anything He was picking up from Lucifer. The Devil wasn’t sure if he was happy about that or a little annoyed at the lack of clarity. The Almighty would know, He knew all of their True Names. Part of being omnipotent. “The humans will be given two days to spread your arrival around. I’m sure that Gabriel and Raguel will show up here not long after the announcement. Raphael has spread your invitation to visit around the Host.”

Lucifer wanted to squirm at that, oddly feeling _praised_. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to preen or snarl. He settled for a grimace, slightly annoyed at the conflicting feelings that warred in him. He’d always been sure that, when faced with his Father again, he wouldn’t feel anything other than anger and annoyance.

Fear, anxiety, and confliction had never been part of that. It made his wings ache in his back in the need to wrap them around himself, something that he hadn’t done since he was a younger child.

 _‘Calm,’_ Michael soothed. _‘Focus on my calm. I am right here.’_

Lucifer felt for the Darkness that stretched from Michael to himself. It slipped within his Light, muting the rampaging emotions that were raging within and allowing him to take a deep breath and focus on the now. He could worry about the rest later. He ignored the look on pain on God’s face, just nodding for his Father to continue.

For once, the Almighty did as he asked and kept going as if nothing had happened. “During those two days, I would like you to do your best to smooth over the reactions of the human governments in any way that is available to you, short of using up all of your resources. Once those two days are up, I would like you to accompany Michael during his meetings with the humans.”

Lucifer nearly laughed at the indignation the folded the Darkness surrounding him. Without thinking, he reached back with his own Light in the same manner that Michael had done for him only moments ago.

Lucifer had a temper; he was more than aware of that. Claiming otherwise would be a lie, something that he just wasn’t able to do. Like the Light, he could be harsh and unforgiving, blinding and searing when it suited him to be. It was why Hell, filled with fire, answered to his call though he wasn’t Infernal like the Demons. His control of the fire that filled the desolate place was why he was King. Light could always deceive but it could not lie, so Lucifer could not lie. It was as easy as that.

Even lying to himself was only ever a deception, in the end. Not a true lie, like what humans meant by the phrase. He could only misinterpret, not blatantly tell a falsehood.

Michael was the Darkness, however, and the Darkness was more perilous than the Light could ever be. His Twin could lie as much as he wanted, though he didn’t usually bother, and the Dark could be a void that threatened to consume anything that looked too long. Unlike Lucifer, who’s anger was bright and burned hot, Michael was quiet in his rage and exuded a cold that could only be found in the depths of space where no starlight reached. When aimed at a being that was of a lesser strength than himself, Michael could bring them to the point of insanity with minimal effort when in a rage.

As it was in Heaven, so shall it be on Earth.

Night was far more dangerous than the day.

The indignation switched to smug pride, acknowledging the truth of the matter. Lucifer, as Samael, had always been the one sent to keep Michael from going off on one of their siblings. Lucifer had very rarely been the one to lose his temper in those days. It wasn’t until later, long after Michael had mellowed, that Lucifer had gained the reputation as the ‘scary’ one amongst humanity.

Amusement radiated from the Almighty, in a way that startled the Devil. God hadn’t exuded anything like it in Lucifer’s presence since long before the Fall, back before Adam and Eve had ever been created.

He frowned, considering that, before deciding to wonder about it later. He’d been getting distracted enough during this entire encounter already without that bouncing around in his head. He’d save it for his session with Linda, which he planned on moving up to sometime in the next two days.

He obviously had a lot of things that he needed to rant about, and Linda was always good at sorting through such things. Even if, he acknowledged, he usually ended up doing the exact opposite of what she said.

“Keep Michael from traumatizing humans and help things progress slightly smoother after Gabriel’s announcement to the humans later today,” Lucifer repeated. “Easy enough. Anything else?”

Just another deal, he reminded himself. He lived and breathed deals.

“Advising Gabriel and Raguel on matters among humanity that Amenadiel cannot answer,” God said, waving a hand. That was easy enough, Lucifer acknowledged. Anything that Lucifer didn’t know and Amenadiel was clueless on, one of his humans could answer. Ella would know the most about religion right now, Dan could answer things about law that Lucifer wasn’t aware of, and Linda was a surprising source of information at times. She was also the best source about what was socially acceptable among humans out of the lot of them. Even Daniel had instances where he failed on doing the socially acceptable thing. Lucifer referred to him as ‘Douche’ for more than one reason.

“Can do.” Lucifer agreed, already sorting through the various contacts that owed him favors that would be useful to call in at this stage. He’d save his more valuable favors for later on, once things got going and he’d managed to convince humanity that they had a few things wrong about him.

One day, he _would_ figure out how the goat thing had started. He didn’t even like their cheese!

As he was plotting, the Almighty disappeared from the room without a further word, business concluded.

* * *

In the afternoon of August 15th, 2019, the Archangel Gabriel appeared in the closed UN meeting taking place in Vienna.

It was the first time in millennia that Gabriel had been tasked with taking a message to the humans in person. She’d been shocked when her Father had given her the order, just before He’d announced his plans to the Host along with the reasons behind them. It wasn’t that she hadn’t noticed the _itch_ in the pit of her being, she just hadn’t given it much thought. It never occurred to her that all her siblings were dealing with the same things.

It did certainly explain Lucifer’s constant trips to Earth, she acknowledged. She’d always thought that it was just a result of boredom or curiosity, not the same _itch_ that she herself felt.

Staring at the gaping humans, her wings on full display, Gabriel took everything about them in.

There was fear, she noted. A little awe in some of them as well. There wasn’t a single one of them had a completely pure soul, she was a little sad to see. There wasn’t _much_ black in some of them, just enough to tell her that they had lost the innocence that came with a guilt-free life. It wasn’t a surprise, as very few humans managed to live their entire life without guilt. That still didn’t change the sadness she felt every time she found the little speck of black in a soul.

It was the souls that were spotted with black that had her nearly recoiling. In one case, there was only a sprinkle of light within the soul. Gabriel resisted the urge to smite the human then and there, making sure that the mortal would never come into contact with one of her siblings.

It was only the knowledge that God had forbidden the taking of human life without permission that stopped her. This was not Cain, who had attacked Lucifer with the intent to kill first. She would be punished if she struck this human down, no matter what his soul looked like to her.

She was tempted to do it anyway, images of Lucifer’s injuries playing in her head. William Kinley’s soul had looked very much like this one to her eyes.

Time passed; Gabriel observed. The longer she remained quiet, the more that the humans gathered became increasingly uncomfortable underneath her gaze. She was doing nothing to mitigate the oppressive nature of her abilities from affecting them, the weight of her authority as the Messenger filling the space that they all gathered without restraint. It had been a very long time since she had been faced with humans.

She was pleased to know that she hadn’t lost her touch. She might have been the more reasonable and personable of the Archangels, but that didn’t mean that she couldn’t pull of the divine judgment feeling just as well as the rest of her siblings (though never as well as Michael).

“Humans,” she spoke, putting power into her voice. “Hear me and Know me. I am Gabriel, the Messenger of God.”

She could also pull off dramatic if need be, she snickered. Lucifer, when he’d been Samael, had taken great pleasure in instructing her. At the time, she hadn’t realized just how effective it would be when addressing the mortals.

She knew better now.

(She regretted that the burning bush hadn’t been _her_. Lucifer was always better at drama than she was.)

“The Lord has gazed upon humanity and found it lacking,” she boomed. “Those among you have abused the Gift granted to you in order to attack His Children. This will no longer be tolerated.”

She didn’t bother to keep the rage from displaying itself in her wings. Father had not announced this to the Host, pulling her aside to give her everything that she would need to know in order to do her job. This had been only one of many attacks on her brother. Father had discovered so while He’d prepared for Kinley’s Judgement. Centuries of attacks that they had remained oblivious to, all led by humans who claimed to act in His name.

It was no wonder Lucifer had been so skittish while confined to the infirmary. So confident that they would not care now that he was out of danger of destruction. To her brother, they had never cared before. Why would they, his siblings, care now?

The urge to smite the human with the corrupted soul grew. Instead of squashing it, Gabriel used it instead. Allowed her power to fill her eyes and cost across her wings. These mortals needed to _know_ what they were dealing with now, before they could make the same mistake that had driven the humans in the past to attack an Archangel. Lucifer was far more powerful than she was, a mixture of age and his dual aspects. The Twins had always held more power than the rest of the Archangels.

If they feared _her_ , then they would **_know_** to fear the Demiurge. An attack on one of the Twins would be considered an attack on them both. There would be no missing such things any longer.

“In the Beginning,” she continued, not changing the volume of her voice. “The Lord granted your species Free Will. It is His Promise that has kept Him from acting now. To Order you, He would infringe on the Gift He granted you. This does not mean that He will not Punish those who think to harm His Children.”

She sneered. “Let the Fate of William Kinley be your Warning, mortals.”

The terror in the room satisfied the rage in her soul. They heard the threat that she was issuing. Some, Gabriel was pleased to see, looked disgusted at the implications she had made.

She allowed those humans to be released from the effects of her abilities. They would not need the full force of the Messenger to hear her.

“It is the Decree of God that, in light of these things, the Host open communication with the Mortal World,” Gabriel spoke, her voice booming still. “In two days’ time, five of the Host will make themselves Known to you.”

“Amenadiel the Firstborn, Gabriel the Messenger, Samael the Lucifer, Michael the Sword of God,” Gabriel Spoke, the True Names flowing off her tongue in a familiar way, one she had not felt in millennia. “And Raguel the Just.”

Lucifer would be pleased, she thought. His Chosen name had merged into his True Name, bringing both his identities together in a way that felt _right_. More like her brother than either name had ever felt alone.

“Hear me, Humanity!” She boomed once again. “Any Harm done to the Children of God shall be Answered. So Sayeth the Lord.”

With that, Gabriel spread her wings and took flight. She had no need to stay, visible or hidden, and observe the humans’ reactions to her message. Her job was done, anything else was up to Metatron and Sandalphon to observe and report back to God. The younger pair of twins had been more than eager for the job.

Gabriel hesitated for a moment, unsure of her destination. Before, she would have just returned to the Silver City until she was required to return to Earth. Now, the thought made her insides ache.

Raphael had said that Lucifer had given invitation to his home here on Earth.

Nodding to herself, Gabriel searched out her brother. Locking onto him, she directed herself towards his presence.

* * *

The appearance of the Archangel Gabriel made the news only a few hours after her departure. The UN had released the recordings made in the meeting, editing out anything that didn’t pertain to the angel, in an effort to keep the public in the loop.

The internet theorized that the government officials hadn’t wanted to blindside the world with the sudden appearance of angels and risk something happening to one of them. Well, after everyone was done collectively losing their minds, that is.

(They never considered that the angel’s words would have a compulsion placed within them, a _need_ to have the Message shared to all that would hear it. Such things had not been recorded since the last time Gabriel had appeared and had since been forgotten.)

Everyone in the world was searching for every scrap of information of the Angels mentioned in the announcement. While the names of Gabriel and Michael were common knowledge, very few people knew much about Amenadiel and Raguel. As for Samael the Lucifer?

That had set off a very different response. It didn’t take much for people to make the connection to the Devil. Ha-Satan was one of the titles associated with the name, after all. Adding the name Lucifer to the mix only convinced more people of the connection.

The implication of _Satan_ being an ambassador sent by _God_ promptly crashed the internet.

Unseen, Metatron recorded the reactions of humanity while Sandalphon delivered updates to the Silver City.

There was silence from the Vatican as it continued its investigation into William Kinley. Pope Julius the Fourth kept a steady stream of updates to the official social media site as well as sending relevant information to the LAPD, but otherwise remained silent on the visit of the Archangel Gabriel. The media, in a rare moment of kindness, did not pull attention to the fact that the Archangel had approached the UN instead of the Vatican. That didn’t keep the internet from noticing, however.

In the span of twenty-four hours, every religion in the world had gained a mass following. With the reintroduction of Angels and God to humanity, faith was pretty much guaranteed. It was hard to argue when faced with absolute proof of the divine being forced into the public’s face. Atheism just wasn’t practical in the new world order.

Governments worldwide began a frantic preparation as the countdown began for the arrival of the five angels. No one knew how they would be approached. Would they appear to each government separately? Would they appear in front of the UN again?

Every country in the world watched their officials as people began trying to predict where the first angel would appear.

In the early morning on August 17th, two days after the appearance of the Archangel Gabriel, the world collectively held their breaths and waited.

* * *

The world had completely lost their minds, Ella thought with wide eyes.

Ever since Lucifer had sent out a mass warning to their group about what was about to happen, Ella had been watching the social media sites constantly. The minute that the UN aired Gabriel’s speech (which _hol-y shit_ , looks like Lucifer wasn’t the only dramatic one in the family), Ella had monitored Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and a whole slew more websites to keep the Angel Brigade apprised of what was happening.

The world’s reaction to angels was pretty standard, pretty much how they’d predicted. As well as one could predict humanity, that is. In Ella’s experience, people weren’t always the best at behaving exactly as predicted. There were definitely cases of that being true, don’t get her wrong! Profiling was a totally legit way of solving crimes!

That didn’t stop the few cases of a person suddenly losing it and going nuts, not to mention mob mentality. None of them, even with their experience, were suited to predicting mob mentality.

“Not my department,” Linda had joked in their chat when it came up.

This was going to break out in violence, Ella thought grimly. While the response right now was still centered on fear and awe, there was already a hint of fanatics that wanted to eliminate the angels. She could already imagine the religious war that was going to spike once the gleam of God and angels started to tarnish.

Kinley and the existence of Hell weren’t going to be a deterrent forever. Not to mention how the various Cults of the world were going to react to this. Usually, she’d be happy that it wasn’t _her_ that was going to be part of those cases but there was the real chance that it would drag Lucifer and Amenadiel into it.

And the other angels, Ell acknowledged. She wasn’t nearly as protective of the three new angels that had appeared in her life since this had all started. Michael was pretty cool, she’d liked him for the little bit that she’d interacted with him. It was fascinating, seeing the similarities and differences compared to Lucifer. Looks and sweet tooth were nearly identical (wings and specific preferences being the slight difference there), yet Michael was almost Lucifer’s opposite in manner. Where Lucifer was loud and flashy, Michael blended into the background and could seemingly pop out of nowhere. There was also an edge of _danger_ that seemed to surround him in the same way that Lucifer had an edge of desire that followed him.

Ella was still waiting for the right moment to ask about that. Now that she was in the know, she suspected it had something to do with what Lucifer was instead of being just a mind trick. Michael intimidated her a bit too much for her to ask, though.

That was another thing, Ella thought. Lucifer could do threatening, she’d seen it enough in the past, but it was nothing on what his Twin had been like the few times Chloe had been mentioned. The amount of menace that filled the room during those times had made Lucifer’s predatory gaze feel friendly. She’d never really believed the Lucifer would hurt anyone other than those that deserved it.

She had a feeling that Michael wouldn’t much care for who got hurt as long as it wasn’t someone he cared about.

Whoever said that the Devil was the one to be afraid of had clearly never met Lucifer’s other half.

Or, she considered, they had and had mistaken the two. A case of mistaken identity would certainly explain some of the things that were said about Lucifer in mass media. Though, she grinned, it wouldn’t explain the goat things. Both twins were equally baffled about the goats. Trixie had been the one to ask that question and Michael had been happy to answer the girl. The girl was definitely the Archangel’s favorite among them.

She was pretty sure that Maze was a close second. And the less said about _that_ interaction, the better off everyone involved was.

Another post caught her attention, pulling her out of her thoughts. This one was local, Ella saw and dread began pulling at her stomach.

Today was the day that Gabriel had told humanity that the angels would appear. Whatever weird celestial magic that had kept the world from making some very obvious connections was now up. With a few clicks, Ella forwarded the post to the relevant chatroom before she beginning reading.

Starring back at her from the top of the screen was the face of one Lucifer Morningstar.

* * *

If Michael hadn’t known why their Father had pulled Lucifer into a position as dignitary, the Archangel would have been furious. As it was, he understood exactly what God had been thinking when he’d come to that conclusion.

Lucifer had made waves amongst the humans ever since the mortal scum had wormed her way into his life. He was well known, nearly a ‘public figure’ (or that was what Ella Lopez had called him) in Los Angeles, California. The club his Twin lived over was popular, brimming with humans that came to hear Lucifer perform as well as to have fun. It was exactly the kind of place the Lucifer adored and Michael hated.

Anything that happened between the celestials and the mortals was going to drag his brother into it. Lucifer, by his nature, could not lie when asked a direct question. He could distract and twist the truth in some frankly terrifying ways without a single falsehood being uttered; a straight-up lie? That was something that Michael could do, and Lucifer could not.

Not to mention that there was no hiding that Michael was his Twin. Anyone with eyes could tell that there was no changing it.

Bringing Lucifer in with the rest of them was both practical and protection. If Lucifer was a dignitary as dictated by God then it would ensure that any human who attacked his Twin would be doing so with full knowledge of the repercussions. There could be no claims of misunderstanding this way. There would have been no mercy either way, Michael was sure of that, this was just a forewarning to those that chose to listen.

No matter what his Twin thought, Lucifer would never have left Michael, if not the rest of their siblings, to face the humans without helping in some way. Their Father’s formal request and the ‘deal’ had just been for show.

It was a way to tell both Lucifer and Michael that Lucifer wouldn’t be barred from their home any longer. Giving his Word in exchange for help Lucifer was already going to provide was a brilliant way of allowing Lucifer to believe it. For _Michael_ to believe it as well.

“Michael?” his Twin asked, head tilted and Light blending into his Darkness.

It had been so long since they had been like this, intertwined by their very souls. Michael had felt the absence like a sword to the gut. It ached no matter what he’d done, no matter how many stars he’d dived into in an attempt to soothe the missing piece.

They’d gone too long apart, Michael thought with remembered pain. The Darkness that he was had been threatening to break free for centuries now, leaving him unbalanced and far too quick to violence. His siblings had been careful in his presence for so long, Michael had only noticed it now that Gabriel was talking freely to him. His sister hadn’t been that free with her speech for a very, very long time.

There was no simmering anger that wanted to break free now. No need to find and destroy any who made the mistake of crossing him, until not an atom was left.

Perhaps it would be for the best to have Lucifer go to those meetings with him, Michael finally admitted. He’d been a bit indignant at the time. Now, he could see the logic behind the move. It would be a lot harder to convince the humans to listen to him if they were terrified just by being in the room with him.

“Yes?” he asked, turning his attention to Lucifer.

His Twin was dressed in a black human suite, adjusting the sleeves as he waited for Michael.

Human clothing was another way that they differed. Michael leaned more toward human casual attire instead of the suites that Lucifer seemed to prefer. They were still high quality, according to Lucifer, just not nearly as ‘stylish’.

He liked the soft colors and the feel of the fabric against his skin. It was better than the traditional robes that Amenadiel always insisted they keep wearing. He didn’t feel as exposed and had a freer range of movement in case of battle.

It also didn’t overheat him as much as the suites that his Twin favored did. While it wasn’t unbearable, it was not comfortable in the climate that they were in. Michael didn’t understand why his Twin seemed to be so pleased in them.

He did, however, agree about the product that Lucifer used to tame his curls. Michael _hated_ the way their hair was naturally. It always insisted on getting tangled and was annoying to take care of. Taming it to straight was much better.

Michael still didn’t understand why Amenadiel found this funny. He was, likely, better off not knowing.

Their older brother was rather strange at times. Ignoring those instances usually worked well enough to make his brother much more bearable in the long run. Mostly because Amenadiel would leave as soon as he figured out that he’d lost Michael’s attention.

Far better way to deal with him instead of engaging in a fight that Michael wasn’t sure he could stop once started.

“Seems like someone finally managed to use basic logic,” Lucifer mused, phone in hand. “Ella just sent an article to the group chat.”

Michael blinked and pulled out the phone that Lucifer had purchased for him the day that they’d arrived back on Earth. Apparently, phones were now essential to human life and having one would make things easier. Humans were also reverting back to hieroglyphs, if these ‘emojis’ were any indication.

Much easier than typing out whole sentences every time he wanted to contact someone. Michael delighted in finding new and interesting combinations to baffle his Twin’s humans and sole demon. Mazikeen expressed her displeasure with thrown knives his way.

Though she never sent her new set that had been forged out of both his and Lucifer’s feathers.

Michael thought that he was beginning to grow on her.

With a quick swipe of his fingers, the article that Lucifer was reading popped up on his screen.

_Lucifer Morningstar: Eccentric or Satan?_

_Since the dramatic appearance of the UN Miracle Statue, the world has been given indisputable proof of the existence of God and Angels. People that were originally deemed as suffering from mental illnesses all over the world are being re-evaluated with this new information in mind._

_The epicenter of this all, the figurative ground zero?_

_Right here in Los Angeles, California._

_Many citizens of LA, when asked, pointed at the Missing Priests case as being the start of this all. It is of my opinion that this isn’t correct._

_In early 2011, a former MMA bar was bought by a mysterious unknown individual and renamed LUX. The individual, Lucifer Morningstar, has no records before the opening of LUX. In fact, many have commented on the fact that, in the last eight years, Lucifer Morningstar hasn’t even seemed to age in the time since this occurrence._

_In fact, Mr. Morningstar is on record claiming to be the actual Devil._

_Like most, I brushed this off as good genes and a great plastic surgeon and either a mental illness or eccentricity._

_Since the announcement two days ago, I’m no longer so sure of this._

_Six years after his appearance in LA, Lucifer Morningstar began consulting with the LAPD. His partner, one Chloe Decker, has since moved on to a different, undisclosed police department after her ex-fiancé, Marcus Pierce, was confirmed to be the legendary Sinnerman and was killed in self-defense. The name of the person who killed former Lt. Pierce was never named by the LAPD._

_In the four years that Chloe Decker and Lucifer Morningstar partnered together, there have been an increase of cases solved by the LAPD. There have also been an increase of criminals that have claimed that Lucifer Morningstar really is the Devil that he claims to be. Confession rates of criminals that have been left alone with Mr. Morningstar are at a hundred percent guarantee, with each person needing to see a psychiatrist afterward. The LAPD has denied knowing how, exactly, Mr. Morningstar has managed to get these confessions. Video surveillance only shows Mr. Morningstar talking to the suspects, nowhere near their personal space, before the suspect begins begging for mercy and confessing to everything that they were accused of. In some cases, even giving the exact location of a missing murder weapon or evidence that implicated themselves in the crime._

_Because of this, lawyers have been unable to claim coercion during court cases and Lucifer Morningstar continues, to this day, to consult with the LAPD._

_This is far from the only mystery surrounding the mysterious club owner. Witnesses have reported seeing Mr. Morningstar being shot and walking away without injury. Some have claimed that they’ve seen him perform feats of impossible strength and speed. A blink, and Mr. Morningstar is suddenly gone._

_Most interesting was the witness statements made by victims in a jewelry store heist, a few years ago. The victims and suspect all claimed that the club owner and an African-American man appeared suddenly in the bank, spouted nonsense, and then vanished as if they never appeared. This could have been easier written off if not for the state that the suspect was left: without any clothes other than underwear, wearing a tiara, and shoes tied. The missing gun was later found taped to the dash of the suspects getaway car with a devil emoji underneath it._

_There are cases of such things happened regularly in the LA area for a few days before suddenly stopping altogether. Mr. Morningstar was never questioned about these sightings, as the police had deemed them to be impossible and no video evidence of the club owner or his reported companion was ever found._

_The more I looked, the more I discovered about Lucifer Morningstar, the less convinced I was that he was just a simple police consultant and club owner. Whenever the club owner is involved, something unexplainable always occurs._

_I’m left with the simple question: Is Lucifer Morningstar, small LA celebrity, really the Devil?_

_With the announcement of the Archangel Gabriel claimed that Samael the Lucifer, two names connected with the Devil mythos, would be among the angel acting as a dignitary, I believe that LA will soon find out._

“You and Amenadiel stripped a jewelry robber of his clothes, tied his shoes together, and put a tiara on his head?” Michael asked, the hilarity of the image nearly sending him into fits of laughter.

Lucifer smiled, smug. “No, Amenadiel stopped time and _I_ stripped a robber of his clothes, tied his shoes together, and put a tiara on his head.”

That made much more sense. Michael laughed.

His Twin looked far too pleased with himself. “Anyways, we were looking for Mum at the time. The thought was that we’d follow the chaos until we eventually ran into her.”

“Did it work?” Michael asked, curious. He hadn’t really paid much attention to what was happening during that time. He’d have been tempted to come to Earth himself and he hadn’t been sure that would have been such a good idea. He’d helped their Father subdue Her and had been the one that had reported Her in the first place. Lucifer had not done anything to Her personally, only allowed Her to remain imprisoned within Hell. Michael had hoped that their Mother would see Lucifer as someone else wronged by their Father and would act accordingly.

Reminding Her that Lucifer was Michael’s Twin and would never consent to harming Michael would have put his Twin in much more danger than staying away had.

Lucifer gave him an amused look. “No, actually. She came to us on Her own.”

That definitely sounded like their Mother.

“After that, there really wasn’t any point in going looking for Her, was there?” Lucifer shrugged. “Charlotte, the woman that Cain killed, was the body that She ended up in and we had her continue in Charlotte’s life while I tried to figure out what to do with her.”

“You had _Mother_ pretend to be _human_?” Michael asked, regretting that he’d not been paying attention. That would have been something to see, for sure. He considered something, head tilted. “If Charlotte Richards was dead and Hellbound, which would be the only way that Mother could have used her body, how is it that Cain killed her?”

Hellbound souls changing their lives and gaining access to the Silver City wasn’t a new concept. A resurrection, however, was something far more interesting. Father hadn’t approved a resurrection in millennia.

“I think,” Lucifer began, his face pensive. “That Mum brought her back. I thought that it was Father at first, as Mum was not well known for being concerned about humans, but I’m not sure now. I think, before She left, Mum was _fond_ of Charlotte’s human family. As fond as Mum could be of humans, at least.”

“Huh,” Michael mused, trying to picture it. He could almost see it. Mother was the type who would have begun to view the humans She’d been interacting with the most as a type of pet. She would think bringing back the human soul to the body She’d stolen as a proper payment for amusing Her for long enough.

Michael didn’t have the best opinion of their Mother, he reluctantly admitted. A worse opinion than Lucifer had ever had of their Father, even.

“This is going to make it easier to get the humans to take you seriously,” Michael finally spoke again, changing the subject. “The True Naming is already starting to pull at the denial that humans have towards your identity if this is any indication.”

Lucifer hummed. His Twin had been pleased by his True Name, once he’d heard it. It fit the person that he’d become since the Fall. Not quite Samael (though Michael could see hints of the Twin he’d first known when he looked) and not just the Lightbringer. Both, Archangel and Devil, existing together.

Michael didn’t know everything that had happened in the millennia that Lucifer had spent in Hell. He’d seen glimpses of it, in the predatory movements that had never been there before, and the whole thing that he had with Deals now. As the Will and the Light, there had always been a thread of danger there but now, Lucifer seemed much more willing to channel it towards his targets.

Samael would have never even considered such a thing.

Michael was also different, however. He was more willing to engage in fights, less concerned with collateral damage, and far more willing to stretch out death than to deliver it quickly.

Perhaps that was why he was now the Sword and not the Darkness.

“What should our next move be?” he asked, pushing his thoughts away. Lucifer was who he was, and Michael was who he was. It would not due to dwell on who they had once been.

“I think that Amenadiel should be arriving at his first stop any moment,” Lucifer answered, the edge of danger and pleasure still foreign to Michael on the familiar face. He felt his own power trill underneath his skin in excitement at the chaos that was about to erupt. “Now, we watch the fallout.”

* * *

Amenadiel would have been cursing Lucifer if he wasn’t trying to pay attention to what was going on.

It felt good to be annoyed with his showboating younger brother, something that he had worried would never happen again. He _liked_ the relationship that they had right now and losing it would have been worse than losing the one they’d shared before the Fall.

Still, did Amenadiel really have to be the first one to make an appearance? Obviously having Michael do it was a no go, which meant Lucifer was also out, but Raguel and Gabriel were readily available as well.

Sometimes being the oldest was much more annoying than it was helpful. It meant that his siblings could use it against him when they didn’t want to do something. Worse, Amenadiel had done it to himself when he used it as an excuse to get them to listen to him the first time, back in the Beginning.

Lucifer had been the first one to turn it on him then too, he snorted.

So here he was, standing invisible among the press as they questioned the President on what measures where being taken to deal with the sudden appearance of angels.

He was a little offended by the wording that they were using. They didn’t need _dealing_ with. And if they did, that was up to God and not a human government. And why were they talking about musical instruments and cloud sitting?

Was this how Lucifer felt when the goat things came up?

Maybe he should apologize for that.

In retrospect, Lucifer had been perfectly justified in dumping that drink on his head. Amenadiel hadn’t _really_ needed to retaliate by convincing humanity that Lucifer had a thing with goats.

Though why they had decided Lucifer had goat features was still a mystery, even to him. Especially the horn thing.

Honestly, Lucifer was a Fallen Angel. That meant he looked like an Angel. Last time Amenadiel checked, angels were not known for having horns.

“We are doing our best to prepare for when the Angels approach us,” the President was saying, looking a little harried. He upped himself in Amenadiel’s opinion when he ignored the reporter asking about halos.

He blamed Gabriel for that one. Honestly, she didn’t have to emulate Lucifer and create a ball of light around her vestige whenever she delivered a message. It had been showboating and unnecessary.

He probably shouldn’t have let Lucifer teach her that trick in the first place. Millennia later and now humans were convinced that angels had floating balls of light following them everywhere, for some reason only located above their heads.

If all angels could control Light then Lucifer wouldn’t have been the _Lightbringer_ , Amenadiel thought with exasperation. Gabriel could only do that because Lucifer had given her the ability to do it. It was why that they all knew that Lucifer had been behind the Burning Bush that sent Moses on his way.

His face, when Gabriel told him that she’d been just about to give the message herself when Lucifer had shown up, was worth this, Amenadiel decided.

With a sigh, Amenadiel released his invisibility and let the humans see him. He felt his wings twitch under the sudden attention that was being sent his way.

The President, two feet from him, jumped and yelped at his appearance. Better than some of the reporters who had actually screamed.

Okay, so maybe Gabriel and Lucifer had something when it came to drama. That was far more satisfactory than it should have been.

Right, now what?

 _‘You’re just there to establish contact,’_ Gabriel’s prayer whispered in his mind.

No grand speeches, he thought in relief. He’d been worried about that when Lucifer had picked up to do this.

Amenadiel was the Firstborn and Angel of Time. He wasn’t the best at commanding humans to do anything though he could muddle his way through it if need be. His interaction with Malcolm, while horrible, had at least given him a basis of how to approach this.

 _‘Do not do anything that you did when you were working with Malcolm,’_ Lucifer’s prayed interrupted.

How his brother had timed that was probably always going to be a mystery to him. _‘Stop piping in and let me focus,’_ he sent back to his two siblings, annoyed.

“I am Amenadiel,” he announced, deciding that the introduction was going to be necessary. Humans couldn’t tell angel’s apart by their wings like others could, he reminded himself.

“We have already procured necessary lodgings,” he began, answering a question that had been posed while he watched. “Providing some will be unnecessary.”

He pulled out a phone and tossed it to the startled President. “These phones have been programmed to reach either one of the five of us. The numbers have been encrypted inside and cannot be traced. Each government is being provided with such a phone.”

That had been Ella’s idea when Lucifer had first posed the idea of using phones instead of prayer. Thankfully, his little brother had both the favors and money to procure the number of phones necessary and to pay the person who provided the encryptions on them.

“A decoder has also been downloaded,” he added as an afterthought.

That suggestion had come from Dan, who had been experiencing the headache of trying to figure out the string of emoji’s that both Lucifer and now Michael used to text. The glee on identical faces had Amenadiel approving idea. Maze had been the one to provide the translations while Ella had coded the key into an app. When asked why she knew how to do that, the forensic scientist had declined to answer.

Nodding to his audience, Amenadiel opened his wings and disappeared.

* * *

“Holy fuck,” Jennifer Walters breathed, eyes wide.

She was far from the only one. The entire LAPD precinct had gone silent when a familiar face had appeared next to the President of the USA, with _wings_.

Amenadiel Canaan, older brother to one Lucifer Morningstar, LAPD consultant.

There went any doubt that they had in regards to their consultant’s identity.

Monroe looked poleaxed.

Samael the Lucifer was, indeed, the same person as Lucifer Morningstar.

Walters wasn’t sure how to feel about that. What did someone do when they found out that their coworker was the literal Devil, child of God?

His Father, who he complained about regularly and frequently.

A lot of things made a lot more sense and even more were suddenly a lot more confusing.

“We have Satan on payroll,” Edwards breathed next to her.

“Is he even getting paid?” Another wondered. “I’ve never heard him talk about it.”

“No,” Monroe answered, shaking her head. “He declined payment when we set him up as a consultant.”

So Satan was a volunteer consultant for the LAPD, Walter thought and immediately started questioning her life choices.

“Does pudding count?” someone called.

She couldn’t help it. At the mention of the infamous pudding agreement, where the LAPD filled the fridge with pudding labeled ‘Dan’ for the _actual Devil_ to fake steal, was just too surreal. The most feared being in the universe was a pretend pudding thief.

As laughter and swears filled the quiet, Jennifer Walters looked at the open file on her desk.

Twelve Missing Priests and the name William Kinley stood out on the page.

Just what were the odds that a man who was being punished by God for harming a Child of God, would disappear from the city that was home to two angels, one of which was the actual Devil?

The Devil, who had disappeared and hadn’t been seen since his _demon_ (holy shit, holy shit, _holy shit-_ ) called to report that he was dealing with the result of a break in?

A horrible feeling began to rise in her chest.

She saw the look on Edwards' face, a mirror of her own likely, and looked at the faces in the file.

She hoped they were wrong.

**Author's Note:**

> That's it for now! Stay safe!


End file.
